Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Sadly, very little information is widely available on this hospital building within the Fort Totten landmark district near Bayside, Queens. Built in 1864, the year in which the primary purpose of the Fort shifted from defense of the mouth of the East River to casualty support and hospital care, the facility served the Army in various capacities until 1974, when it was emptied and abandoned. Sometime before 1920 a cafeteria annex was added to the rear of the structure; at some point prior to abandonment, the hospital appears to have been repurposed for office and administrative use, and the basement for storage.

Unfortunately, the building has fallen prey to some fairly signicant demolition-by-neglect. There is considerable water damage which has led much of the building to collapse; the parts that have not collapsed are in imminent danger, as evidenced by the mushy floors and the separation of some rooms’ floors from the load-bearing walls.

Here’s a look at the interior of the hospital. Readers with more knowledge of its history or with stories about its active use are heartily encouraged to comment below.

A dormitory, one of the few rooms in the building which gives a hint of the original purpose as a hospital. This room would have been lined with beds & side tables, and the outlets spaced along the walls would have provided power.

A large room on the second floor contained what was by far the most bizarre artifact found within the hospital – a child’s riding grasshopper.

Although the floor in this bathroom is completely gone, the plumbing is enough to hold these heavy porcelain sinks in place over the abyss.

The basement is full of military documents. This one-pager explains how to zero a .50 caliber machine gun.

”Battlefield Damage Assessment and Repair for Combat Vehicles”

Surprisingly, the attic was among the most intact sections of the hospital.

A typical attic room showing water damage.

The other side of the door to this room bore the name of a military officer in fading paint.

On the interior side of the door, one of the few artifacts remaining in this building – a fading photo of an Army marching band.

I was in the US Army and stationed at Fort Totten in 1963,4 &5. I was an army photographer. The signal corp. was stationed in this old hospital. The green tile operating room was my studio. The bathroom without the floor was one I used daily.

I was born in Fort Totten Hospital on January 7, 1946. My father was in the US Army Air Force - as he Air Force was called then, and my mother lived in the Bronx about one hour's drive away. I must remember the green tile of the operating room as I have always loved that shade of green since. It is sad to see that the hospital is in a state of decay, much like this writer who was born there. Life moves on ...

Ian- your work was brought to my attention by a friend, and I gotta say it's pretty incredible. I wanted to let you know that, and also that you've been featured on my website. Keep doin your thing. Your photography is inspiring.

the blog is fantastic! with the perfect sunlight, position, framing, etc... love the sinks hanging in mid-air. lone chairs in lonely sunlight. statue of liberty through window. and care about the text as well.

I was born here on May 20, 1949, but my Dad was transferred within a year, so I don't have any memories of the hospital, people or the surroundings. I've never even seen a photograph taken on-Post until I found this website. I greatly appreciate the pictures and am amazed by the number of people who feel strongly connected to the Fort. I'm lucky to have a connection.

In the spring of 1944 I, an enlisted member of the British Royal Air Force, arrived in NY from the UK aboard the "Ile de France" troop transport vessel and was transferred from the ship to Fort Totten hospital with scarlet fever. I still recall with gratitude the very warm welcome given by other patients and staff there,and the excellent treatment I received.Thank you US Army for everything.Wilfred (Now 86 years old)

I was stationed at Fort Totten from 1960 to 1963. I was the Medical Laboratory Specialist in the Medical Detachment assigned to the garrison. The hospital building was only partially used by the Signal Corps. I shared a room in the Post Dispensary next door with a Medical Equipment Repairman who had a workroom (I believe it was in the old kitchen)in this building. He was only one member of a group from the Medical Service Corps also using the building. He also served as a bus driver bringing Bayside young ladies to the USO club for dances. I, along with Medical Records Clerk, served as waiters at the Officers' Club, (AKA, the Castle) in the restaurant and in the ballroom for dinners and weddings. The Post also had the Medical Equipment Development Laboratory along with a Commissary (super-market), served as a home for a number of UN personnel, and their families, who drove into Manhattan daily. I was very saddened to see the condition of so many of the buildings when I visited in 2010 with my wife who lived in Whitestone, next door.

I recently found your blog. I love photos of abandoned man-made things (my particular weakness is amusement parks). Your photos are stunning, and your text is very well-written. Each post is a delight. Thank you for sharing with all of us.

Oh my gosh, my step dad was stationed here in '64, '65. I loved it. We always used to sneak through the chain link fence and go into the old part of the fort. We used to find old passageways that were hidden and just roam for hours there. Thank you for bringing back some memories of my childhood.

My great grandfather was stationed there from 1870 to 1898. He reached the rank of sergeant of engineers. His name was John Cavanagh, and he was from County Wicklow, Ireland. While stationed there he raised a family and represented the U.S. Army in world shooting championships. He won. My grandmother was born in that hospital way back on May 3, 1892.

Thank you for these photo's of the old hospital, great job.Don BakerBrockport, N.Y. 22 Oct., 2011

the blog is amazing! while using best natural light, situation, surrounding, and so forth... really like your sinks hanging within mid-air. lone seats within unhappy sunshine. bronze sculpture involving liberty via screen. as well as worry about the written text at the same time.

Enjoyed a vist to History and particularly the human interest comments. I don't want to be insensitive but could someone rescue the sinks! Everywhere throughout the abandoned buildings are bathroom sinks! REcycling would be good!

I was born at Ft. Totten April 10, 1948.My Father was in the Air Force, my mother was a war bride from French Algeria. 3 months later we were transferred to Panama Canal Zone for 3 years. Cool pictures.John

As a few others on here, I also was born at the hospital...Valentine's Day (Feb.14th) 1949. Dad was a Staff Sgt. and did photography for the Army. In his spare time he worked in the Castle as a soda jerk. I vaguely remember going there with him once for some ice cream. I remember the Hard Rock Maple captain's chairs and round table...to this day I love hard rock maple and captain's chairs LOL I have several photographs my mom took of the hospital after I was born (lots of snow that year). The photos show a tall, two floor long white building, and while part of me remembers this brick front facade, it doesn't resemble what's in the photos. Could the pictures have been taken from the back? At any rate...I remember the beautiful homes and tree-lined streets, and one officer's home in particular. My grandma cooked for him and his family and she often took me with her to play with their children. We played on the big, front porch and had wonderful afternoons. I still have a great love for the ocean and big homes on tree filled streets. We didn't live there long since dad was always putting in for somewhere else...but I'm so proud to have been born there as I'm sure others are too.

I'm a late comer to this party, but in 1990 I was promoted and transferred to what was then the 77thRSC (originally the 77th Infantry Division) and became the CSM of the Reserve Forces School at Ft. Hamilton, but the RSC was my higher headquarters. I spent the next, nearly 10 years in various positions all under the 77th to include the last CSM of the 469th Engineer Battalion. I mention that due to the beautiful Engineer castle located on Ft. Totten. Great photos but epic shame on what happens to our history due to lack of care about things that should be preserved. CSM WEN, US Army (ret)

I was born at Fort Totten on May 2, 1946. My father was a dentist that mostly treated injured soldiers from the war. It was interesting to see the hospital photos since I have never returned to NYC after I left at age two.

I lived on Ft. Totten from 1975-80. I am from Queens Village so figure the odds. I was a recruiter that lived less than five miles from home. My parents loved to come all of the time. I used to take my friends and drink beer on the old fortifications. It is a shame the place was allowed to deteriorate. Land developers used to salivate at the prospect of constructing "Mcmansions" and the profits that it would bring them.

I lived on Ft. Totten for much of 1970 where my father served as post Commander prior to his retirement from the Army. I was 13 at the time and there were a lot of kids on base that were around the same age. We spent a lot of time exploring a lot of the spaces on the Fort but I don't think we ever discovered this hospital building. Really interesting to see how much of its history remains and really sad to realize it won't be long before all of this is gone, either through simple deterioration or via active demolition, which I think is a real risk unless someone steps up to save this space. Here's a recent post from a blog of mine about this treasure.

I'd be VERY interested in speaking with others about any interest that might exist in trying to petition the city to see if there's a way to save this space as a park, recreation area, historical setting or anything that would prevent it from eventually vanishing. Feel free to drop me a comment on my blog post and I'll get back to you.

I was stationed at FT Totten 1956-57. I was one of the best looking military post in the USA. Gen. Robert E. Lee was the engineer that designed the fort, as well as Ft Hamilton in Brooklyn NY. The fort was completed in 1856, and In 1956 I as well as otherswere assigned to build scenes to celebrated the 100th centennial of Ft Totten. It took place on the parade grounds.I have researched for photos of that event and even returned to the fort's historical group for same with out success. While there I was deeply saddened on how many other beautiful buildings have been left to the elements and will become to look like the Hospital. Very sad

I absolutely enjoyed this post and reading everyone's comments. I run past most of these buildings daily as a probationary member of the FDNY EMS spring class of 2017. As I am reaching my last few weeks here at Fort Totten I am looking forward to being able to walk instead and really take in the extensive history of the Fort and the proud people that have served their time or took their very first breaths here. I have wondered countless days why the city has allowed much of the buildings to deteriorate.. they are stunning with lovely architecture.. and even more outstanding once faces and stories are reminisced .. furthermore bringing life to them.

Thank you all for sharing your Fort Totten memories.. I'll be sure to hold them dear and share the knowledge I have learned from you all today.

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